City staff pitch tiny homes pilot instead of sanctioned encampments

City staffers are putting their support behind setting up a community of tiny houses instead of sanctioned encampments as part of its response to the city's homelessness emergency.

The proposal, which will be presented at the general issues committee next Monday, follows public consultations where people voiced their concerns and shared ideas about the growing number of encampments in Hamilton.

The proposed plan would see the Hamilton Alliance for Tiny Shelters (HATS) put up a cluster of 25, privately-funded tiny cabins on Strachan Street East between James Street North and Hughson Street North later this year.

That's behind Liuna Station and near Bayfront Park.

Staff is also recommending offering washroom and shower access via parks and recreation centres, both of which would have security on hand.

Two existing washrooms in city parks would be open 24 hours daily, while the rec centre washrooms would be open 12 hours daily.

WATCH: Check out this tiny alternative to a homeless shelter

Check out this tiny alternative to a homeless shelter

2 years ago

Duration 1:03

Sue VanEgdom, a volunteer with the Hamilton Alliance for Tiny Shelters, talks about what each unit offers.

There are also plans to have enhanced services that would address encampment residents' needs and clean up garbage in the area on a regular basis.

"The recommended actions aim to strike a balance between providing support and services to those experiencing homelessness while also addressing the concerns of constituents and local authorities regarding the impact of encampments on the area," reads the report.

It's meant to be a temporary measure in lieu of more help from the province and federal government.

The proposal was made public not long after a group of local healthcare providers put out a report saying 14 people facing homelessness died between December 2022 and May 2023. The average age of those who died was 43.

'A safe, stable place'

Tom Cooper, a HATS board member and director at Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction, said the idea has been in the works over the past 18 months and it's feasible.

"It can be successful in transitioning people from being street-involved to finding supportive, affordable housing," he said.

"It's really about finding a safe, stable place where people can stay, where they have a little bit of autonomy."

Cooper said community members and foundations have stepped up to offer funds and turn the vision into a reality.

He said it will likely be a phased approach, starting with 10 tiny homes before building up to 25.

"As a pilot, it couldshow us how we can better support our neighbours who are living unhoused," Cooper said.

He said he hopes councillors will back the idea on Monday.

James Lambert, a volunteer with the Hamilton Encampment Support Network, saidthe idea has promise, but encampment residents should lead managing the site and creating the rules on the site or else it may lead to similar problems seen in city shelters.

Changes to rules for encampments around city

City staff have also made changes to its encampment protocol, which are a set of rules for unhoused people who don't live in the tiny shelters.

The proposal says people can't set up an encampment or cluster of shelters on or within 100 metresof schools, daycares, playgrounds, waterparks, pools and spray pads.

They also have to be at least 10 metres away from private property.

"A shift from a 50-metre to a 100-metre setback from playgrounds, in particular, does introduce a number of limitations on potential encampment locations, particularly in the downtown and lower city where parks tend to be a smaller size," the report reads.

It also says they can't set up anywhere on Strachan Street East between Bay Street North and Ferguson Avenue North.

Staff will respond to complaints or requests for service related to these encampments within three days. Staff will engage with the encampment residents to understand their needs and connect them to supports.

If there are no health and safety issues, the encampment residents can stay.

If an encampment is following the protocol but has health and safety concerns, the concerns will get addressed and it may involve police but the encampment can remain where it is once the issue has been addressed.

If the encampment isn't following the protocol, bylaw officers will follow up. They may issue a trespass notice and if that isn't complied with, police may get involved. But the report also notes city staffers will work with the residents to find them supports and shelter.

Anything on private property is the responsibility of the property owners and if the owner didn't provide consent for an encampment there, it's up to the police to respond, the report said.

Cooper said the protocol will be "incredibly challenging" for unhoused people because there will be very few places to go.

He said he thinks the city is approaching the plan with good faith but needs support from higher levels of government.

Lambert said the protocol is worse than originally pitched. Instead of investing money in security near washrooms and showers, he said the city should invest in portable washrooms and portable showers.

"I absolutely hope and expect progressive councillors will reject the protocol," he told CBC Hamilton.

More short-term and long-term plans proposed

City staffers also have a report with short-term and long-term strategies to incorporate shelters and housing into the response.

Short-term plans include giving Indwell, a local non-profit that develops affordable housing, up to $1.2 million to provide support to 24 CityHousing units on King William Street.

The report also recommends continued investment in hotel overflow spaces for families experiencing homelessness, temporary shelter beds for women and diversion programs to meet people's urgent needs.

Long-term plans include approving "in principle" $31 million in capital funding over three years to create a reserve fund, with help from the province and Ottawa, to build 200 supportive housing units. That money would otherwise go toward building more shelter beds.

Another plan staff are investigating is using unfunded residential care facility spaces to establish supportive housing.

For context, Cynthia Graham, the city's director of environmental services, told CBC Hamilton in an email the city has spent $39,089 on its encampment response from Jan. 1 to June 30 of this year.

In 2022, the cost was$140,861.

She said there was a shift from an enforcement-led encampment response to a housing-first approach where encampments aren't being actively removed anymore.

That can be seen in data that shows Hamilton investigated 211 encampment sites from January to June this year, compared to 798 sites investigated from April to November in 2022.